Should food dyes be banned?

Food dyes used to help cereals, fruit juice drinks, sweets, yoghurts and a range of other processed foods look brighter and fresh are currently under scrutiny in the US.

The US Food and Drug Administration's Food Advisory Committee is currently reviewing data examining the link between food dyes and hyperactivity in children. The committee is voting this week on whether or not the dyes should be limited or banned from use, Medpagetoday.com reported.

In preliminary reports the committee of independent experts in nutrition, toxicology, food science, immunology and psychology said there wasn't enough evidence to prove there was a link between chemical food dyes and hyperactivity in children.

Children diagnosed with attention deficit (AD) or attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) were, however, more likely to have their condition exacerbated by food additives, including dyes, the FDA committee said.

The committee is focusing mainly on a study conducted in the UK by researchers at the University of Southampton, involving 153 three-year-olds from local preschool groups and 144 eight- and nine-year-old children from the school system.

Children drank two samples, one containing fruit juice with artificial food dye and sodium benzoate (a type of salt often used to preserve food and drink) and the other fruit juice without dye or any other additives.

The researchers had concluded that the sample spiked with food dye and sodium benzoate did increase the average level of hyperactivity in both the younger and older groups of children.

Another expert said that while studies had shown food dyes weren't the initial cause of hyperactivity disorders such as AD and ADHD, there was a link between increased hyperactivity and the increase in consumption of chemical food dyes.

Child psychiatry professor emeritus at Ohio State University, Dr L Eugene Arnold, said that since the 1950s Americans consumed five times as much food dye.

"Food dyes are not the main cause of ADHD; I think that's been well-demonstrated," Dr Arnold told the FDA committee.

"But they may contribute to it in some cases. [The dyes] maybe push these kids over the diagnostic threshold."

The International Food Information Council (IFIC) — a group funded by the food industry — presented a statement highlighting the lack of evidence between food dyes and hyperactivity.

"Food colours add to our enjoyment of foods by maintaining or improving their appearance," IFIC president and CEO David Schmidt said in a media release.

"Without sufficient scientific evidence that a causal link truly exists between food colours and hyperactivity in children, communications that suggest a link could have unintended consequences, including unnecessarily frightening consumers about safe ingredients that are consumed every day."

The FDA committee will also hear from the International Association of Color Manufacturers before making their final decision on what action should be taken on food dyes.